Human Shield
by BeyondTheClouds777
Summary: Natsu takes a blow meant for Lucy, and Lucy blames herself. (One-shot)


**Summary: Natsu takes a blow meant for Lucy, and Lucy blames herself. (One-shot)**

* * *

The loud laughter of her assailant rang through her ears and engraved itself in her memory, where she would always be able to hear it. Lucy laid on her side on the ground, keeping herself upright by her arm, her clothes in grimy tatters and her hair a complete mess. Her celestial keys lay nearby, useless; she was out of magic power. There was nothing she could do to protect herself now.

The laughing maniac, clad in a long, black cloak and steel boots, continued cackling as he stood over her, gloating in victory. "Foolish Fairy!" he taunted. "As if you could defeat the Dark Wizard Steeleblue! You never had a _prayer!"_

Lucy grunted and tried to hoist herself up, but to no avail. She was out of magic energy, which meant her physically energy was down for the count as well. If she had enough time, she'd be able to rest and regain enough strength to run, but she didn't have the luxury of time right now.

The Dark Wizard raised his hands towards the sky, and instantly, a dark light began glowing between his palms, growing and expanding in length until it took on the appearance of a sword, dark and shadowlike without real substance.

"Goodbye, puny pest," the Dark Wizard spat, and then, he launched his black sword straight at Lucy.

Lucy brought her hands up behind her head and pressed herself to the ground, anticipating the deadly blow, holding her breath and squeezing her eyes shut. She was completely helpless at her attacker's mercy, anticipating the overwhelming pain that was sure to come.

 _"LUCY, GET OUT OF THE WAY!"_

The shout shocked her, and her eyes flew open. She recognized that shout, all too well. She'd heard it all too many times to _not_ recognize it. Heck, she'd recognize it from a hundred miles away.

She raised her head and looked towards the direction of his voice. Lo and behold, there he was. Natsu, her best friend, racing towards her with a look of desperation in his eyes.

And in an instant, she knew.

She knew what he was planning to do.

"Natsu, no!" she screamed, as desperate as he was. "Don't get any closer!"

Steeleblue was laughing now, his sword flying as if in slow motion towards his target. Natsu was running, and Lucy held one hand out to him, trying to keep him back, wishing she had the power to knock him off his feet, to keep him from reaching her.

To keep him from doing what she knew he was about to do.

 _"NATSU, NO!"_ she shrieked, one final time, but now, it was too late. Natsu launched himself in front of her, putting himself between her and the shadow sword with his arms spread wide, his back to her so he faced the lethal blow.

Maybe he faced it to make sure it hit him and not her. Or maybe he did it so Lucy didn't have to see his face when the weapon struck him.

She heard the vapor-like sword meet its mark (and its mark wasn't her), but after that, the only thing she heard was her racing heartbeat pounding against her chest like a caged bird frantically trying to break free.

Dust flew up everywhere, all around them, but Lucy didn't shield her eyes, nor did she avert them. She only continued to stare, horrified, at Natsu. The sword had disappeared as soon as it met his lower chest, but its damage was definitely there. When Lucy's senses finally returned and her shock diminished just enough for her to start thinking clearly, she heard a change in Natsu's breathing.

It became ragged and uneven, like every breath pained him. And she had no doubt they did.

"N-Natsu…" she whispered, holding her hand close to her chest to try and slow down her rapidly thumping heart. Her stomach churned, and everything suddenly felt much hotter than it was.

 _No way,_ she thought, sure her mind was playing tricks on her. _There's no way that just happened…_

Natsu looked at her over his shoulder, and in that moment - the moment her eyes met his - she knew the horrid truth. She knew the weapon had, indeed, struck him.

The look he gave her. A forced smile, pain hiding behind his eyes, and she knew he was only smiling for her sake. Only smiling so she wouldn't cry. Only smiling so she wouldn't see the true extent of his pain.

He smiled at her. _For_ her. And for some reason, that made Lucy's horror and pain so much worse.

" _I made it in time,"_ Natsu panted in triumph, completely and utterly breathless - and then, his eyes shut, and he hit the ground in a crumpled heap.

There was a beat.

" _NATSU!"_ Lucy screeched, and just like that, her feet were underneath her, and she was running towards where he'd fallen. She skidded to her knees and grabbed him by his shoulders, turning him over as roughly as she dared.

There was no blood. No external sign of an injury whatsoever. But she knew Steeleblue's magic wasn't flawed. The damage was there, but it was internal damage, damage she couldn't see.

Damage she couldn't heal.

"No, Natsu, Natsu _please_ ," she pleaded, shaking her head vigorously as she slapped his face softly, trying to get his attention. He was still breathing, though faintly, but it wasn't reassuring in the slightest. His breathing was... _off_. Completely and utterly _off_. And not only was it shallow and uneven, but there was a low grating sound behind it, like there was something clogging his lungs.

Now that she thought about it, there probably _was_ something clogging his lungs. Blood or magic, she didn't know.

"Natsu, you've got to stay strong, you hear me?" Lucy told him firmly, giving him one more shake for good measure. "You've always told me that Fairy Tail never gives up, so don't give up now, alright?"

He cracked his eyes open, just a bit, and looked up at her wearily. This time, he didn't try to hide the pain he was in. "Luce, listen…" He took in as deep a breath as he could; it sounded like hard work. "I...I…"

"Don't, Natsu," she snapped, shutting him up. "Don't you dare talk like you're...like you're…"

 _...saying goodbye._

She choked and laughed, faintly and giddily. Her fear and panic was making her hysteric. "No, what am I saying? Of course you're not...you aren't..."

The look he gave her was terrifying. Not the look itself, but the fear and sadness ebbed in his stare. The most _not_ reassuring look he'd ever given her.

It shook her to the core.

"Wait, no," she said, shaking her head again, "you're not-"

"Lucy, please, just listen to me," Natsu said, pleadingly this time, and she shut her mouth. She wasn't going to deny him his request. He swallowed thickly, and then went on. "There are some things..." Natsu hacked, "...some...some _people_...worth dying for."

"Yeah, and what's that supposed to mean, you dummy?" Lucy babbled, cracking a smile that felt every bit as pained and fake as it looked. "You're making even less sense than usual, Natsu. I mean, you're not dying, you're fine. You're fine."

He didn't answer this time. His eyes had shut again, and he was still.

"...H-Hey…" Lucy started, smile fading as soon as it came, and her eyes widened. "W-wait a minute...hey, Natsu, this...t-this isn't funny…c'mon, snap out of it…"

He didn't budge.

" _NATSU, THIS STOPPED BEING FUNNY A LONG TIME AGO!_ " she shouted at him, angry because she was scared. "NATSU, GET UP! _GET UP, IDIOT!"_

The tears were falling now, and they were falling _hard_ , coming down like long streams. Lucy found herself unable to breathe, unable to think. This...this...this wasn't happening.

This couldn't be happening.

Her worst nightmare...the thing she could never even _imagine_ happening...had just happened.

Lucy raised her head to the heavens, and screamed.

She flat-out _screamed_ bloody murder.

She screamed and she didn't stop screaming, her throat feeling torn to shreds, all her pain and agony embedded in that soul-wrenching scream.

She screamed until her lungs were empty, screamed until her throat was killing her, screamed until she was lightheaded, screamed until she thought she was going to be sick, screamed for the pain she was too shocked to fully feel, screamed for her friend, her best friend, her _family_.

Screamed. Screamed. Screamed.

And then, all at once, she stopped screaming, finally too exhausted to keep it up any longer. With unimaginable grief, she pulled Natsu close and sobbed loudly, burying her face in his pink hair.

Pink.

The same color as her Fairy Tail emblem.

Coincidence?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

 _Clap_.

Lucy froze, but didn't move from her position. Nothing mattered to her anymore. _Nothing_. Natsu was gone. Gone. Forever out of her life. What more was there to matter to her? She no longer cared about anything.

She'd lost her mother. Her father. And now, she'd lost her best friend.

She had nothing left. _Nothing_.

 _Clap_.

This time, Lucy raised her head slowly, blinking a few times as she fought the losing battle of getting her tears under control. The pain she was feeling was worse than any pain she'd ever felt before. It was a pain of her heart, aching, worse than any physical pain imaginable.

 _Clap._

That sound...what was it?

Lucy looked towards the direction from whence the sound had come, and in that moment she was reminded, all too soon, that she and Natsu weren't alone.

Steeleblue the Dark Wizard stood before her still, slow-clapping, taking all the time in the world. The smirk on his face was hideous and full of twisted glee over his victory.

"You put on quite the show, young lady," he said with a grin, "but unfortunately, there's no dragon slayer to take the blow for you this time around."

He raised his hands over his head again. Another long shadow sword began glowing, accumulating, and taking on its odd formless form, solid and liquid both at once.

Lucy didn't run. Wouldn't run. Wouldn't leave Natsu behind. It would have taken more than the entire Royal Army plus all the Dark Guilds in Fiore to make her leave him right now.

The blow was coming. The same blow that had taken Natsu away from her was coming once again, and there wasn't a thing she could do about it. She was out of magic power, and even if she wasn't, she wasn't going to use one of her spirits as a human shield.

She wasn't going to see another friend suffer like that. Not after Natsu…

"Say goodbye, Lucy Heartfilia!" Steeleblue cackled, poising his weapon to strike. "Join your friend in death!"

Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and hugged Natsu tight, shielding as much of him as she could, just as he had done for her. She squeezed him, gritted her teeth and, tears still streaming down her face, prepared herself for the inevitable.

" _GET AWAY FROM OUR FRIENDS, YOU MONSTER!"_

Lucy's eyes shot open again.

From the sky along with the shout came a long, loud battle cry of a scream, and then, a flash of bright red and glint of silver swords caught the sun's rays, all heading straight for Steeleblue. The Dark Wizard broke his concentration, his partially formed shadow-sword disappearing as he leapt back to avoid this dangerous force.

Lucy stared, wide-eyed, as the sword-wielding warrior with bright red hair hit the ground, just where Steeleblue had stood moments before. Lucy blinked (and a few tears slid down her cheeks), hardly daring to believe what she was staring at.

"Erza…" Lucy whispered, her voice cracking.

And there stood Erza Scarlet in all her glory, hair blowing slightly in the wind, steel eyes turned towards their enemy. At Lucy's voice, Erza turned slightly, just enough to see her.

And Natsu.

Instantly, something crossed over Erza's face. A look of horror, fear, and utter shock. Natsu, completely in Lucy's arms, motionless for probably the first time in his life.

Erza shifted her gaze to the ground, hands fisting even tighter on the hilts of her swords. A dark shadow crossed over her face.

"You," she snarled in the darkest, most threatening voice Lucy had ever heard her use, and even the deranged Steeleblue seemed to cower slightly. "So you're the one…"

And all of a sudden, Erza lifted her head, raised her swords, and lunged.

" _YOU'RE THE ONE WHO HURT MY FAMILY!"_ Erza screamed, and with a flash of light, she had re-quipped into her Purgatory Armor, ready to give this fight everything she had.

Lucy wondered if Erza knew. Wondered if Erza could tell just by looking at Natsu. Wondered if she knew the truth…

"Lucy! Natsu!" Gray's voice reached her ears, and Lucy looked up as the ice-mage charged into the clearing, making a bee-line for Lucy and Natsu. His shirt was off, as usual, but Lucy didn't care.

She didn't care about anything anymore.

Gray collapsed by her, looking Natsu over frantically. If Lucy had to name one expression on his face, it was _denial._ Lucy knew Gray and Natsu had always been rivals, but she also knew that despite that, they did truly care for each other. They loved each other like brothers. Like family.

Gray reached out, pressing two fingers on the pulse point of Natsu's neck, but Lucy shook her head at his efforts, tears spilling over once again.

"I-It's no use, Gray," Lucy wept. "He's...h-h-he's…"

"Lucy," Gray whispered, "he's got a pulse."

Lucy's train of thought derailed. "What?"

"I said he's got a pulse," Gray repeated, sounding every bit as shocked as Lucy felt. "Holy crap, he's still…he's still with us."

Lucy's tears stopped. "W-wait...you mean...he's still…"

 _He's still alive_.

"Lucy, he was hit by Steeleblue, wasn't he!?" Gray demanded, suddenly very business-like and serious.

"Y-Yes," Lucy replied with small nod, still very much in shock. _Natsu is alive…_

"Where was he hit!?" Gray interrogated.

"T-The lower chest, I think."

Gray instantly put his hands together and shut his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, his hands were glowing blue. Lucy watched him, thoroughly confused, as he pressed his hands to Natsu's chest.

"What are you doing?" Lucy asked softly, still in too much shock to bring about any intelligent conversation.

"Steeleblue's magic is crazy deadly," Gray told her. "That shadow-sword thing? Well, when it hits someone, it actually goes _inside_ them and kills them from the inside. But I'm pretty sure there's a spell to counter it, and the only person who knows this spell is Gramps. My ice magic might just be enough to slow it down long enough to get back to Fairy Tail."

"But…" Lucy swallowed, watching Gray's hands uncertainly as small bits of frost spread from his fingers "...aren't you practically freezing his insides to do that?"

Gray sighed. "Probably, yeah," he said. "We've just got to hope Flame-Brain's magic counters any effects mine might have on his body." He looked down at his hands, still glowing, and then, he looked up at Lucy. "I need you to watch his pulse," he said. "If it gets faster, slower, weaker, _anything,_ I've gotta be the first to know."

Lucy nodded numbly and laid her hand on Natsu's wrist, two fingers pressing to his pulse point. Gray shut his eyes, concentrated, and the duo fell silent.

Meanwhile, a little ways away, the battle that raged on was anything _but_ silent.

" _REQUIP!"_ Erza shouted, raising her sword. _"LIGHTNING EMPRESS ARMOR!"_ A flash of light, and then, she charged into battle once again. She swung her weapon, throwing lightning straight towards Steeleblue as he raised his hands once more. He didn't even have the chance to start forming the shadow-sword before Erza's attack met him head-on, and he flew backwards with a loud scream.

"You hurt my family!" Erza said, marching towards her fallen foe. "AND FOR THAT, YOU WILL PAY!"

More lightning. More shadow-swords. The enemy was putting up a good fight, but Erza's righteous anger was a weapon all on its own. An unstoppable weapon that not even Dark Magic could defeat.

Lucy suddenly noticed a change, not in Natsu's pulse, but in the temperature of his skin. "Gray," Lucy said uncertainly, "he's…"

"I know," said Gray. "I know, his body temperature's dropping, but my ice isn't harming him. Actually…" He perked up a bit, looking at his friend's face. "I think his breathing's improved."

"Does that mean it's working?" Lucy hardly dared to hope.

"Yeah, looks like it," Gray said, "but we've still got to get him back to Gramps."

Lucy nodded.

Erza stormed back towards them, now in her usual, simple armor, dragging an unconscious (and smoking - literally _smoking_ ) Steeleblue with her. Her eyes were cold, not towards her friends, but towards the person who had hurt them so.

"Erza," Gray said, never once moving his hands, "Natsu was hit. We've got to get back to Fairy Tail."

A look of fear crossed briefly over Erza's face, but she was back in business once again an instant later. "Right," she said, nodding. "Then there's no time to waste."

…

Lucy knew she was in the infirmary before she even opened her eyes. She knew by the roughness of the crisp sheets beneath her hands and the thick smell of antiseptic in the air.

Her eyes flew open, and she shot up with a gasp, looking around frantically. Her vision was somewhat blurry, but she saw white. Clean, unfaulted white.

She was definitely in the infirmary.

"Easy, child. You're safe. Don't worry."

Lucy's head whirled around to find the source of the voice. Fairy Tail's master, Makarov (better known as "Gramps" to the rest of the Guild), sat by her on a small stool, looking at her intently.

"Master," Lucy said, breathless. They were back at Fairy Tail. They were safe. And then...Lucy remembered something, and her panic reached its peak. She looked around again, even more frantically than before. "Where's Natsu!? Is he okay!? Where is he!?"

"Calm yourself, Lucy," Makarov said, extending a hand towards her. "Natsu's right here."

He gestured to the infirmary bed just beside Lucy's, and Lucy looked. And there was Natsu, eyes shut, white bandages wound around his forehead and arms. Alive, breathing Natsu. Lucy felt weak with relief, but she managed to stand up and cross over, carefully sitting on the edge of his bed. Makarov didn't try to stop her.

"He looks awful. How's he doing?" Lucy asked, reaching out and touching his forehead. Her eyes widened. "He's...he's burning."

"He's out of the woods," Makarov answered before she could start assuming things, getting off his stool and moving to stand by Lucy. "Right now, his magic power's gone a little haywire in shock of both Steeleblue's magic and Gray's, but once it calms down, his fever should drop."

"Oh...that makes sense." Lucy withdrew her hand, biting her lip. "He's...he's really okay?"

Makarov nodded. "He'll be down for a while," he said, "but he'll be fine."

Lucy sniffed and wiped her stinging eyes. "How did I get here?" she asked. "What...what happened?"

"According to Erza," Makarov said, "you passed out just after she took down Steeleblue. She and Gray brought you and Natsu here afterwards."

Lucy nodded. So that's why she didn't remember anything after Erza defeated Steeleblue. She was unconscious. "Where are Gray and Erza now?"

"With the Council," Makarov replied. "The Council needs them to stand as witnesses to Steeleblue's crimes. He was using forbidden Dark Magic, which is already a great offense, but he's well-known for his crimes. The Council's been trying to convict him for years, but they never had proof of his crimes until now. He's going to do some hard time if he's not executed."

Lucy swallowed thickly and lowered her head, fisting her hands against her knees. "I'm sorry," she whispered in such a quiet voice, not even she was sure of what she'd said.

Makarov turned to her, concerned. "Lucy?"

"I said I'm sorry," Lucy said, speaking just a little louder this time. "This is all my fault. I'm...I'm useless." She sucked in a deep, shaky breath and kept going. "Erza took down Steeleblue. Gray saved Natsu's life after Natsu saved mine. But I...I was useless. I couldn't do anything. Just...just watch."

She squeezed her eyes shut as tightly as she could in the attempt to keep back her tears. She didn't deserve to cry. Not when Natsu endured the pain for her. Not when Gray fought to keep Natsu alive. Not when Erza singlehandedly took down Steeleblue, a renowned Dark Wizard.

It was Lucy who'd run into Steeleblue, after she and the others were separated on their way to a local job. It was Lucy who'd failed to defeat him the first time. It was Lucy who'd failed to keep Natsu back. Who'd failed to take down Steeleblue.

"I'm a failure," Lucy whispered, and she really believed it was true.

But then, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up. Makarov stared back at her, not with blame or resentment, but with understanding and care.

"Lucy," Makarov began, "trust me. This isn't your fault. What Natsu did for you...that was something no one could keep him from doing. He knew the risks and threw himself in harm's way. You didn't force him to."

"That's...that's not the point," Lucy stuttered. "I-I mean-"

"Erza has trained her entire life to become the woman she is now," Makarov went on despite Lucy's protests, "and Gray's ice magic just so happened to be able to slow the effects of Steeleblue's magic. I know that if one of your Celestial spirits could help Natsu, you wouldn't have hesitated in summoning them, whether or not you were out of magic power."

He squeezed her shoulder one final time, and then let go. "You and I both know Natsu wouldn't blame you for what happened," Makarov told her. "And Erza and Gray wouldn't, either."

"But...but they were...they were all so brave," Lucy said. "They stayed strong, and I...I…"

"From what I heard," said Makarov, "Steeleblue was just about to fire a second Shadow Sword when Erza and Gray arrived, is that right?" He didn't need Lucy's confirmation, so he went on. "If I remember correctly, Erza said you didn't budge. You stayed with Natsu even though you knew that Shadow Sword could kill you. You didn't run, Lucy. You were brave, too."

"But I wasn't!" Lucy insisted. "Y-You don't understand, I was _terrified!_ I was-"

"Bravery isn't the absence of fear," Makarov said. "Fear is something we all face. Being brave means being scared to death, and standing up anyway." He smiled gently at her, a smile she didn't return.

"Don't worry, Lucy," he said.

Lucy swallowed thickly, unsure of how to respond.

Makarov turned his gaze back to Natsu with a small sigh. "I take it you'll be staying with him, then? You're cleared to leave the infirmary whenever you want."

Lucy was shaking her head before Makarov even finished speaking. "No, that's alright," she said. "I'm staying."

Makarov smiled. "I knew you would," he said, and then, he turned and headed for the infirmary's exit.

At the last moment, he paused. "Natsu cares a great deal about you, Lucy," Makarov said. "I know he would never blame you."

He left the infirmary without waiting for a response, pulling the door shut behind him. Lucy stared at the door for a few moments, and then, she sighed heavily, still feeling awful. Makarov's words were calming, yeah, but she was still feeling down and out.

She rose to her feet, about to head over to her own bed - but then, warm fingers wrapped around her hand, halting her in her tracks. She looked back down at her best friend, shocked. Natsu's eyes were still shut, his breathing was still even, just like before. The only difference was, his hand was now entwined with her own.

"Natsu…?"

"I don't blame you."

His voice was soft and breathless, but she still made out every word.

 _I don't blame you_.

And just like that, her fear was gone, and she knew that Makarov was right. Natsu didn't blame her. Would never blame her. She couldn't believe she hadn't realized it sooner.

He was unconscious again as soon as the words left his mouth, but she knew he'd meant them.

Smiling softly at him, Lucy retook her seat at the edge of the bed, still holding his hand. "You always know what to say, don't you?" she whispered with a small shake of her head. "You idiot…"

When Master Makarov returned a little later on to check on his childrens' conditions, he found Lucy sitting on the stool he had once occupied, her head resting on the edge of Natsu's bed, eyes shut, sleeping soundly.

She still hadn't let go of Natsu's hand.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **If anyone asked me why I loved NaLu, I would show them two scenes: First, the scene with the famous "forehead-touch" between Natsu and Future Lucy, and secondly, the scene where Natsu literally grabs Lucy and wrestles her into the pool against her will.**

 **Gotta love those two. I really love how their relationship is developing. NaLu hasn't officially sailed yet as a ship (I'm just starting the 2014 series right now for anyone who wants to know), but there've been enough subtle hints *cough cough* literallyeverythingforthepastfewepisodes *cough cough* to tell us that yes, these two are going to get together.**

 **Eventually.**

 **Well, I'd love to hear what you guys think about this story, as it is just my second one in the Fairy Tail archive. I'm still new to the whole thing (even though I'm 176 episodes into it). I'm hoping to finish the 2014 series reasonably soon as well so when it starts airing again I'll be all caught up. :)**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading, and I'd LOVE to hear what you guys think! :D**

 **Cheers to all!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


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